Staple having flat depressed head with reinforcing ridge



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STAPLE HAVING FLAT DEPRESSED HEAD WITH REINFQRCING RIDGE Filed Nov. 4, 1954 a l 24 24 fil 2 22 INVENTQR WILLIAM HQSTEWART ATTORNEY United States Patent William H. Stewart, Jatlrey, N.H.

Application November 4, 1954, Serial No. 466,827

3 Claims. (Cl. 85-49) This invention relates to a new and improved staple of the type commonly used for securing electric cables in position. These staples may be used where desired and for any purpose for which they are found to be convenient, and ordinarily each staple is in general U-shape having a pair of sharpened legs and a closed end joining the legs, the closed end forming a head by which the staple is driven into a structure, enclosing the cable between the legs of the staple securing the same in position where desired.

It has been proposed in the prior art to provide each leg with a raised striking head so that the legs may be driven by means of a hammer, the force of the blow being transmitted directly through the leg so as to drive the staples faster and more accurately in the position desired; however this construction has been found to provide a transverse bending action in the closed area between the heads at the ends of the sharpened legs of the staple, and this is a deficiency which destroys the accuracy of location of the head and tends to spread the legs so that the cable is not well held where desired.

The present invention has for its principal object a structure overcoming the deficiency of the prior art as above stated while still retaining the advantage of the headed portions of the staples for quicker and easier driving of the staple, and being provided with a narrow bridge means or ridge extending across the closed end of the staple from one head to the other thereof, said narrow bridge or ridge acting in the nature of a strengthening member to prevent lateral bending or twisting, said narrow bridge or ridge failing however to prevent the advantages derived from the striking heads on the closed ends of the staple in the region of the legs, whereby the new staple is easily and quickly driven but does not bend at the central portion of the closed end of the staple.

Other objects in the invention include the provision of a hook staple comprising a J-shaped member having a long and a short leg connected by a closed end as above described; and the provision of a heavier staple having a double bridge or ridge construction.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1, 2 and 3 are perspective views of different forms of the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a view in front elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a plan view looking in the direction of arrow 5 in Fig. 4 on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 6 is a view in end elevation looking in the direction of arrow 6 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a view illustrating the use of the hook of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the modification of Fig. 2.

In carrying out the present invention, the staples or hooks may be made from round or fiat wire, and in Fig. 1 there is shown a staple having sharpened legs 10 connected by a head generally indicated at 12. This head is flattened centrally providing a pair of striking heads or shoulders 14 which are directly in line with the legs 10 so that when the staple is struck with a hammer the driving force is imposed on the legs 10 substantially in a longitudinal direction.

Due to the flattened portion 12 however the striking function of the heads 14 is largely lost because of the efiect of a tendency for the flattened area to allow transverse bending which in turn causes the legs 10 to spread and fail to be driven in straight. It will be seen that this is a deficiency in the staples particularly in stringing wire cables and the like since if the legs 10 spread they will fail to sink into the supporting surface sufiiciently to firmly hold the cable in place.

The present invention avoids this difficulty by providing a narrow bridge or ridge 16 extending between heads 14 and being on an approximate level therewith. Also, it is preferred that the heads 14 should rise slightly above the upper edge of the bridge as is indicated in Fig. 4 in order to achieve the striking surfaces or shoulders for the hammer recited above. In any event the narrow bridge or rib 16 acts in the nature of an l-beam and prevents any tendency to lateral bending in the thin flattened head 12.

As seen in Fig. 2, the sharpened legs 20 are joined by the closed end 22 having the striking shoulders 24 similar to those at 14. In this case however there are provided two parallel narrow bridges or ridges 26. This form of the device is provided particularly for heavier constructions to support heavier types of cables but the general eifect is the same as before, i.e., to provide the two-fold advantage of the striking heads 24 but without any bending between the striking heads.

The modification in Fig. 3 shows a hook type of staple having a long leg 28 and a short leg 30 with a connecting closed end 32 shown to be similar to that of Fig. 1 although it could be like the modification in Fig. 2. Conversely the modification in Fig. 2 could have one leg made short as in Fig. 3.

One of the uses for the hook of Fig. 3 is illustrated in Fig. 7 wherein it is shown how the long leg 28 may be placed in position in a wall or other support at 34, either with the cable 36 already located in the hook or located thereafter to make the stringing of the cable faster. With the parts as in Fig. 7 the book may then be driven straight in by means of hammer blows as. above described and the cable will be securely held in the position desired without any spreading of the legs or other unwanted twisting or bending on the part of the staple.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than as set forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. A wire cable staple of generally U-shape comprising a pair of spaced parallel legs and a connecting head, the bottom ends of said legs being sharpened to form penetrating points, the cross-sectional area of said staple, except for said points, being substantially uniform throughout whereby said staple may be formed from wire stock, said head being substantially symmetrical relative to the internal longitudinal planes of said staple, laterally spaced portions of the top of the head being materially depressed from the plane of the top of the head portions adjacent the legs, the portion of said top between said laterally spaced portions being only slightly depressed from the said plane of the top of the head portion forming a pair of spaced, raised striking shoulders generally aligned with the legs and forming at least one .reinfmeing ridge extending entire y v.aeross th top of the head and merging into said striking shoulders so that a hammer blow on the shoulders fails to strike t e-rid e, th .eentral port on o [said h a being ,subs a t ally wide than th e d po t on a e bottom of the head portion being smooth throughout.

2.The cable staple of claim 1 wherein the central portiqn of said head, except for said-reinforeing ridge, being relatively thin andflat.

3. The wire cable staple of claim 1 wherein one of said legs is shorter than the otherforming the cable staple into general J shape.

,liefiexel ee C te n the l Q this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Dunn et a1. Aug. 15, Le Gay Aug. 11, Prentice Oct. 17, Swett Sept. 7, Iraun Jan. 3, 'Miller Sept. 21, Hahn Mar. 8, .Sears .Oct. 3,

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